Help in Bhutto probe spurned

The cause of her death is disputed

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN -- Pakistan on Saturday rejected foreign help in investigating the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, despite controversy over the circumstances of her death and three days of paralyzing turmoil.

The Islamic militant group blamed by officials for the attack that killed Bhutto denied any links to the killing, and Bhutto's aides accused the government of a cover-up.

President Pervez Musharraf ordered his security chiefs to quell rioting by Bhutto's grieving followers that has killed at least 44 people over three days and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage.

"Criminals should stop their despicable activities; otherwise, they will have to face serious consequences," said an Interior Ministry spokesman, Javed Iqbal Cheema.

Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party called a meeting today to choose a new leader, decide whether to participate in Jan. 8 parliamentary elections and hear her last will and testament.

If the party pulls out, it would destroy the credibility of the elections, already being boycotted by rival opposition leader Nawaz Sharif. The U.S. government has pressured Musharraf, who seized power in a coup eight years ago, to push ahead with the election to promote stability in his nuclear armed nation, a key ally against Islamic extremism.

The riots destroyed nine election offices -- along with the voter rolls and ballot boxes inside, the election commission said. The commission has called an emergency meeting for Monday to decide how to proceed.

Bhutto's will maps out the future for her political party, her husband Asif Ali Zardari disclosed Saturday.

The document is expected to include her preference for who should lead the party in her absence, McClatchy Newspapers reported. Zardari would be a highly controversial contender. Their son, Bilawal, would win a huge amount of good will but is still a teenager, and Zardari appeared to rule him out Saturday.

Many questions

Questions about Bhutto's assassination have intensified since she died Thursday evening when a suicide attacker shot at her as she waved to supporters from the sunroof of her armored vehicle outside a campaign rally and then blew himself up.

The disputes were sure to further inflame violence and have led to calls for an international, independent investigation into the attack.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday that an international probe was vital because there was "no reason to trust the Pakistani government," while others called for a U.N. investigation.

Cheema dismissed the suggestion. "This is not an ordinary criminal matter in which we require assistance of the international community. I think we are capable of handling it," he said. An independent judicial investigation should be completed within seven days of the appointment of its presiding judge, he said.

White House spokesman Tony Fratto said Pakistan had not asked the United States for help.

"It's a responsibility of the government of Pakistan to ensure that the investigation is thorough. If Pakistani authorities ask for assistance, we would review the request," he said.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband offered his country's assistance. "Obviously it's very important that a full investigation does take place and has the confidence of all concerned," he said.

The government blamed the attack on Baitullah Mehsud, head of the Tehrik-i-Taliban, a newly formed coalition of Islamic militants along the Afghan border thought to be linked to al-Qaida and committed to waging holy war against the government.